This blog is not about pushing vegetarianism. I do not believe in forcing beliefs or values onto others. Everyone has the right to their own choices in life and I respect that your choices may not be the same as mine. I simply felt like sharing our family’s journey to becoming vegetarian.
I have been vegetarian for a year now and my reasons for choosing this lifestyle are purely ethics based ,I have touched on some of the reasons for my choice below and will share further in my next blog
Where it All Began…
Our vegetarian journey started when our eldest daughter came home from school one day and said she wanted to be vegetarian. To be honest my heart sank as life was already so busy and I felt stretched to the limit and my first thought was – where the hell am I going to find the time and energy to research and learn how to cook balanced vegetarian meals. I panicked, but at the same time I was also aware that somewhere deep inside myself I felt a little happy too.
If truth be told I had not been feeling all that comfortable with eating meat for quite some time, I love animals and hated the idea that I was causing them harm, but because going vegetarian seemed like such a daunting task I chose to push the feeling aside. Therefore, I consciously chose to ignore my feelings. When my daughter asked for me to support her in her journey to being vegetarian I knew this was the moment I had been waiting for, so even though it felt daunting I jumped straight in.
Food for Thought
How often do you ignore your feelings. Why is it that we pay so little attention to our own needs yet bend over backwards for others? Is this something you do too?
It was a Lot Easier than I Thought
Taking that first step is always the hardest part. Once that was done I simply searched for a few EASY recipes to start with and stocked up on all the ingredients – that’s the key right there – to have the correct ingredients on hand. We have all been quite surprised at how delicious plant based meals can be. Even my meat eating husband has to agree that the plant based meals are really tasty and quite filling, he still loves his meat but has cut down on his meat consumption considerably. He won’t admit it but I know he is feeling a lot better than he has in a long time. As for me I am feeling great. My body feels healthy, light and energized.
Recommended Documentaries
Most animals that are bred for human consumption live in the most appalling conditions . It breaks my heart that humans can be so cruel – but its the sad truth .Here are two documentaries that shed the awful light on how many of these industries operate .
I would love to hear your thoughts once you have watched these two documentaries Cowspiracy and Milked .
Where to Find the Good Stuff!
My husband and I popped into the Plant Powered Show at the CTICC last Sunday and I must say we were blown away. There were so many wonderful products to choose from, My top find was butter from Amma’s Creamery. I have been looking for a vegan butter for ages but haven’t been able to find one I like. Their butter is insane and they also make incredible ricotta cheese and a few different cream cheeses. I highly recommend checking them out. I also loved Mama Bongi. She makes the most incredible vegan choc chip cookies.Yum yum yum!! Another one to check out is Manna Brew Superfood Coffee. Absolutely delicious!
The good news is that due to all these wonderful new products popping up into the marketplace, swapping over to plant based eating is becoming easier than ever.
So if you are someone who feels daunted at the idea of changing over to plant based eating, don’t! Take that first step because that first step is where all good things start.
Kerry